Chapter 66

2000 votes for an extra chapter, there will be another one tonight.

As the summer transfer window was in full swing, Millwall in East London remained unusually calm. Millwall fans were somewhat disheartened. Arsenal in North London had brought in Dutch star Dennis Bergkamp and English star David Platt, clearly aiming to rebuild their dynasty. Chelsea in West London had also made a high-profile signing of Ruud Gullit, the first European and World Footballer of the Year to play in English football, marking a milestone in their history.

Crystal Palace had been promoted last year but was relegated again this year. West Ham United was complaining about Millwall's underhanded poaching. Charlton and Queens Park Rangers were lukewarm, seemingly always lacking a presence. Tottenham had sent off their beloved White Hart Lane stars, Klinsmann and Popescu. Wimbledon, the Crazy Gang, was struggling financially and still renting a stadium from Crystal Palace.

London was bustling with news every day during the summer, but the calm at Millwall made the fans feel stifled. Whenever they looked north or west, they had a sense of being left behind: everyone else was celebrating, but why couldn't they even have a meal of dumplings?

However, fans who were used to the club without famous stars quickly came to terms with it. In a random street interview by The Sun, over 85% of Millwall supporters said they would be satisfied as long as the team could stay in the Premier League next season.

As the summer training camp approached, Aldridge moved into a new community one kilometer from the club. This community was part of his assets, and he chose a duplex apartment in the middle as his residence. The other apartments, fifty units, were sold to loyal Millwall fans.

Aldridge asked Brady to select one hundred loyal fans from the "Lion Roar" fan organization who were interested in buying property. Millwall's official team would then screen these residents, investigate their backgrounds, and sell the properties at a 30% discount after approval.

Another purpose of having these fans live there was to provide accommodation for young players. The team would send a bus to the community every day to pick up the young players and take them to the new Leo Training Ground.

The remaining vacant apartments would be reserved for immigrant families like the Villas and to solve accommodation issues for club staff.

The Spice Girls released a single in July, officially debuting in the British music scene. With her free time, Melanie Chisholm enthusiastically came to help Aldridge move.

In the clean and spacious apartment, Aldridge set up a sofa downstairs and looked at the rows of cardboard boxes on the floor. He lay on the sofa to rest.

"Aldridge, can I read your diary?"

Melanie, sitting on the stairs upstairs, was resting with a box in her arms. She picked up a notebook from the box, opened it, and found it was Aldridge's diary. She asked casually.

"Sure, there's nothing secret."

Melanie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, flipped a page, and read aloud lazily.

"I stayed in Portugal for 28 days, trying to find a young Cristiano Ronaldo who was still in diapers, but I got lost in the capital, Lisbon, five times. In the end, I gave up the search and came to Porto.

An old countryman of mine also moved from Lisbon to Porto, the famous English coach Bobby Robson. I wasn't interested in him, but Porto still had someone who attracted me.

Before the press conference at Porto, I hired a makeup artist to make me look like a mature young man in his twenties. Then I had Andrew send a forged fax to Porto, claiming I was a reporter for The Times. With a fake press pass around my neck, I walked into the press conference at Porto.

Bobby Robson, who didn't speak the language, seemed a bit like a puppet, but every word he said was translated. I met Mourinho, the man under God, for the first time in real life. Despite his young age, he was meticulous in his work. From his translations, it was clear that he even imitated Robson's tone.

To assert my presence as a fake reporter, I raised my hand during the Q&A session. When the press officer indicated I could ask a question, I stood up and loudly asked: Mr. Mourinho, when do you plan to become a head coach?

I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear his thoughts.

However, Mourinho was clearly startled. He didn't translate my question to Robson but asked me to repeat it.

I asked again and added: You obviously don't just want to be a translator or an assistant coach. You're an ambitious person; being a head coach is what you aspire to, right?

To my surprise, Mourinho flew into a rage, and I was kicked out of Porto.

Fuming, I wandered outside Porto, and Mourinho rushed out, grabbing my collar and angrily demanding to know if I wanted to get him fired!

I was also enraged. I took advantage of his distraction, pinched his thin face, and shouted in his ear. Then I ran away. Mourinho was probably stunned by the shout. By the time he reacted and chased me, I was already several streets away. After running for ten minutes, I was sure he wasn't following me. I then removed my disguise and took the train to Spain. It was a pleasant day.

Hahahahaha......"

Melanie couldn't hold back her laughter as she read the last part.

She found it hilarious that Aldridge, at a young age, had disguised himself as a reporter and caused a commotion at a press conference.

Recalling the past, Aldridge smiled to himself as he lay on the sofa.

He hadn't expected Mourinho's reaction to be so intense. If he hadn't run fast, they might have ended up in a street fight.

Suddenly, a warm, soft body pressed against him. Melanie lay on top of Aldridge, smiling and asked, "Why were you so mischievous as a child? Your brother said you used to break people's windows. How could you be so reckless?"

Aldridge felt wronged. Breaking windows was not his style.

"Hey, why did you choose to live here?"

"What's wrong with here?"

"I thought you'd live in a mansion in West London like your brother."

"Uh, there are many reasons for living here. The most important one is that I can keep an eye on the young players in the team, preventing them from going to nightclubs or engaging in prostitution."

Melanie propped herself up, her shirt collar wide open, giving Aldridge a good view of her beautiful, full chest in a black bra.

"Who will keep an eye on you when you become a father?"

Melanie asked with a playful smile.

Aldridge wrapped his arm around her back and raised his other hand to caress her soft cheek, smiling faintly. "I won't lower myself to associate with prostitutes. Why would I? I already have a beautiful woman."

Melanie's eyes softened, almost glistening with moisture. She leaned down and passionately kissed Aldridge.

After a moment of intimacy, they got up and continued setting up the room. By nightfall, the small apartment finally felt like a home.

At dinner time, Aldridge received a call from Brady. Friends had planned to have dinner together. Without changing, he took Melanie out and drove to the restaurant in the BMW Arthur had given him.

Brady, who was already waiting in the restaurant, waved and smiled when he saw Aldridge and Melanie. Aldridge immediately spotted Brady, Fred, and Evan, but Evan looked a bit pale.

When Aldridge reached the table, Brady teased, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Melanie Chisholm."

Melanie shook hands with the three young men. After the handshake, Evan picked up her handbag, looking gloomy. "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. I'll leave first."

She got up and left.

As she passed by, Aldridge asked concernedly, "Are you okay? I can drive you to the hospital."

Evan turned to stare at Aldridge for a few seconds, then shook her head calmly. "I'm fine. I just need to rest."

Watching her leave, Aldridge sighed regretfully. He hadn't seen the talented IT student for over two months.

Brady and Fred exchanged a knowing glance, both wearing a bitter smile.

Even Melanie's eyes showed a hint of realization, but she subconsciously tightened her grip on Aldridge's hand.

The dinner was pleasant. Aldridge and Brady talked about many things related to the fan organization. Aldridge hoped the Lion Roar fan organization would provide the club with maximum support, especially during matches, including creating an atmosphere, being inclusive and encouraging to young talents, which would directly impact the team's long-term development.

However, before the dinner ended, Brady pulled Aldridge aside and whispered, "Aldridge, you need to be prepared for this season."

"What do you mean?"

"This season, we'll face West Ham United and Chelsea directly in the league, home and away, at least four matches. I can't control others, and some members of the Bushwackers won't just disappear. The derby matches won't be the focus on the pitch; the real war will be off the pitch."

Aldridge nodded solemnly.